Trivia: General
While we've sorted a lot of the trivia we've collected by type, there's still quite a bit that doesn't fit in any of the other sections, and isn't quite enough for a section of its own. Here you will find snippets of Neopia's past (or you can go check out our timelines!), as well as bits that pervade the present.
Once Upon A Time
Nostalgia is a favourite pastime of many Neopians - ah, the golden days of yore! While most of us who were there for the early days know it wasn't nearly as perfect as everyone likes to think, there are still plenty of interesting tidbits from the past. Whether they bring back memories, or tease at the Neopia you never quite knew, we're sure you'll find something interesting among them.
- Neopets first opened on November 15th, 1999.
- For a while, if you had less than 100 NP at the end of the day, your balance would automatically go back up to 100 NP!
- The Hidden Tower was originally called the Tower of the Light Faerie.
- For a while, the National Neopian gave out loans, but this was soon withdrawn.
- In March 2000, you could apply to be part of the Police Department.
- The first guilds included the Thieves Guild, Ultimate Lupe Pack, and Uni Friends, and were created by the Neopets Staff.
- You didn't always have to wait for a Faerie Quest to be handed to you - you could go and request one!
- The first Paint Brush was the Purple Paint Brush.
- Some of the shopkeepers used to be human! Check out our Old Characters gallery for some examples.
- When the Neopian Pound was first released, you would have to hand your pet over to Ms. Worley instead of Dr_Death.
- Neopets originally was going to do weddings and engagements for your Neopets! They also planned on having the pets change in looks as they grew older.
- Up until the end of July 2000, you would sign in using your email address instead of your username.
- You used to need Totems to get to certain worlds, including Mystery Island, Faerieland, and the Ice Caves.
- The Island Mystic originally resided on a separate island next to Mystery Island, called Umbuku Island.
- Originally, in order to get to the Space Station you needed to go to the launch pad, where a scary looking human guy who spoke German sent you up.
- You used to be able to use a Neopian Discount Card in the Neopian Shops.
- Kitchen Quests weren't always on Mystery Island; they started off in Old Maraqua until it was destroyed.
- There used to be a time machine crashed into the plateau of Tyrannia.
- Sacrificers was an interactive voting 'Game Show' in the latter half of 2000, and was won by Pop Tart (also known as Donna)
- The first Morphing Potion released was the Red Aisha Morphing Potion, soon followed by the Yellow Korbat Morphing Potion.
- The original Bottled Faeries were trapped in jars, rather than corked potion bottle-type containers.
- Donna's birthday is on December 10th, and Adam's is on the 20th of December.
- In December of 2000, Neopets held a BILLION NEOPOINT GIVEAWAY, which was divided between 2,000 lucky Neopians - they received 500,000 Neopoints each.
- The original unbuyable level in shops was 50,000 NP. Galleries had not yet been created, so people who wanted to display their collections would just price items higher than that.
- For a few hours on March 23rd, 2001, every item in Neopian Shops was only 5 Neopoints!
- Curious for a direct peek at the past? Here's the original Lost Desert Calculator.
- Did you know there used to be a Video Store in Neopia Central? It closed down, and the videos were converted into books. Some examples include the Bitten Book, Golden Shoyru Book, and the Book of Sea Spells.
- You know those green medical crosses? The ones from the Help Chat, Hospital, Pharmacy, and Grumble Be Gone Tablets? They used to be red but were changed because of similarities to one of the symbols of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
- The shopkeeper of the Neopian Bookshop used to advertise the Britannica website!
Hidden Gems
These tidbits are the sorts of things you'd only ever find out through trial and error. Amaze your friends! Impress complete strangers! Erm... enter Neopian pub trivia nights! See, there's a use for every piece of trivia we find. *nod*
- If you look at the News from February 1st, 2001, you will see that the Tiki Tack Man was one of the Mystery Island Juppie Smugglers (or it was someone who looks quite similar...)
- If you type 5514344 in on the Neoboards, it comes up as Ghostbusters! The number is (or once was) the telephone number for Neopets HQ.
- Similarly, trying to type 'background-image' on the Neoboards produces the following: 'I have the intelligence of a roof shingle.' This is to prevent people from potentially posting harmful images on the boards!
- Looking for a little adventure? Try searching for the words Treasure, Asparagus, Jelly or Cheat in the Neopets Search Bar!
Pop Culture References
Pop culture references are like a giant communal joke that everybody's in on. Memes are created and passed around, providing laughter and amusement for all. Neopets is no exception to this, having paid homage to varied elements of pop culture. From the obvious to the obscure, these layers of Neo-joke have something for everyone.
Films and Television
- During the Altador Plot, the fabled 'Punch Club' was a reference to the novel and subsequent film Fight Club. 'The first rule of Punch Club... is you don't talk about Punch Club.'
- The game TNT Staff Smasher features the quote "What'cha talkin' about, Wocky?" which seems to be a reference to the show Diff'rent Strokes.
- While visiting Coltzan's Shrine, you will sometimes see your Neopet say, "And to think, Malkus Vile would have gotten away with it if it weren't for us pesky Neopets!" This is a reference to Scooby Doo, Where Are You.
- An image (shown below) that appeared in Issue 571 of the Neopian Times, features a Zafara that looks uncannily like the character Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
- In addition to the Zafara, a Grundo (shown below) that appeared in Issue 573 of the Neopian Times along with the caption "See you space cowboy. Oops, wrong space cowboy!" is a reference to Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop.
- Even more references! A Scorchio (again, shown below) that appeared in Issue 638 of the Neopian Times is a dressed as the character River Song from Doctor Who.
- An old editorial question and answer ("I'm on a horse!") is a reference to an advert for the Old Spice perfume brand.
- If you try to operate the windmill at Old Follies Farm in Altador, you might end up being admonished that "windmills do not work that way", echoing a line in Futurama.
- One of the boons granted by the Oracle at the Obelisk Skirmishes is named "Doctor Who?" The name is a reference to the British science fiction series of the same name.
- On that note, apparently a Dalek from Doctor Who once appeared on the Neocam...
- The bag that carries users' inventory items around apparently has "more room on the inside". While users may be reminded of many things, including Mary Poppins' carpet-bag or Hermione Granger's purse, TNT has confirmed that the reference points to a certain blue box piloted by a famous time traveller (Doctor Who).
- The Little Book of Bruce has both a title and description that reference the Little Book of Calm from the British TV Sitcom, Black Books.
Other
- The Chocolate Factory Shopkeeper's greeting is "Nobody ever goes in... nobody ever comes out, but we sell chocolate by the truckload!" is a reference to Roald Dahl's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
- A range of varied pop culture references can be seen on Neopets' 404 error pages. That's no page, that's a 404!
- The town of Phorofor, a place lost in the desert, in Neoquest II is itself a reference to 404 errors.
- The random event, "Bank error in your favor. Collect [X] NP." is a reference to the board game Monopoly.
- Frequenters of the Kadoatery might notice some famous residents, including (but not limited to) Bender, Fry, and Farnsworth (Futurama), Sasuke and Kakashi (Naruto), and Inara (Firefly).
This page was written by Suzuka, Torratz & JN Staff and last updated on September 5, 2021.
